D.C. officials, Senate Dems clash

Democrats representing the District of Columbia and those representing the rest of the country came to an ugly head Wednesday as D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray crashed a Senate Democratic press conference.

As hundreds of demonstrators chanted “Free D.C.” just steps away from more than 30 Senate Democrats railing against House Republicans, Gray walked over to stand aside Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) during the press conference. After senators’ remarks, Gray and Reid had a short discussion, which ended with Reid saying: “I’m on your side. Don’t screw it up.”

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Gray, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and the demonstrators want the Senate to take up a House-passed bill that allows the District of Columbia access to its own funds amid a government shutdown. But the Senate has refused to take up the bill, arguing it doesn’t want to encourage the House’s approach to pick specific pieces of the government to reopen.

The confrontation between Gray and Senate Democrats drew dozens of cameras and microphones and elicited a testy exchange between Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Gray.

“Mayor, how are you? I just want you to know, and I want my friend Eleanor to know that we’ve got to open up this government for all the good people in D.C., Maryland and Virginia,” Boxer said.

Gray responded: “We’re not a department of the government. All we’re asking is to spend our own money. Our own money. Not the federal money.”

Boxer shot back, raising her voice: “I’ve got problems in California. Open up the government. Why don’t you support opening up the government?”

The confrontation was sparked mostly by bad timing. At one point Norton rushed over to demonstrators who were drowning out speeches by Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) to try to reassert some Democratic unity.

“It will just drown them out. They may simply resent us,” Norton told the crowd, directing them to go to Senate offices. Senate Democrats “are the people we need to bring around.”

As for Reid’s cryptic “don’t screw it up” comment, Gray and Norton cautioned reporters not to read too much into the offhand comment, with Norton warning the media not to “go interpreting.” But Gray was unbowed in his criticism of the city’s treatment.

“The majority leader just a few weeks ago made the statement that the District of Columbia should be a state. I was there when he said it,” Gray said. “Now is an opportunity to demonstrate that we can function like a state. Just give us the opportunity to spend our own money. Our taxpayers raise $6 billion a year.”

“The mayor has asked for a meeting with the majority leader. That is the next step. That is what we will pursue,” Norton said.